Klance Colors AU
by GhostGirl33
Summary: A classic colors AU where Lance finally sees Keith for who he is and they both start seeing colors. The summary sucks so just read it, I promise it'll be good.
1. Chapter 1

Keith strolled down the long hall. He had no idea where he was going, or even what his next class was. He just kept walking down the hall as the bell rung. That's just what he did at the Garrison, ever since he heard the news of Shiro. Cadets flooded the halls as Keith walked.

An infectious laugh filled the corridor. He knew that laugh. He glanced towards the source. It was Lance. He was talking to his two friends, Hunk and Pidge. Keith wanted to look away, but he just couldn't.

Not for the first time, he noticed how Lance did everything with such ease. There was something about him that just made Keith stop and stare. It was glaringly obvious how much he was in love with Lance.

But, of course, Lance was all the more oblivious. The idiot sat next to him in class. Saw him every day at least several times in the halls. And even then, he didn't notice the way Keith looked at him and tensed whenever he entered the room. He didn't notice Keith. Period.

"Hunk, of course, Shay's your soulmate." He said laughing. "But, never say that again it was too corny."

"C'mon Lance, be nice," Pidge said jabbing him in the gut, "I bet you'll never find **your** soulmate."

"Oh please, I just haven't found the right girl," He said, pouting slightly.

"You sure about that," Pidge said suggestively wiggling her eyebrows, "Or do you mean the right boy…"

"Pidge!" Lance said outraged and embarrassed, then under his breath said. "You know I'm gay, but can you stop making such a big deal out of it!"

That's when Keith stopped listening and hurried on. His chest tightened when Lance said he was gay. That meant that it was possible that he liked Keith back. A million thoughts ran through his head, he needed to clear his head. He made his way to the roof where he proceeded to sit at the edge and collect his thoughts.

Keith loved it up here. It was always so peaceful. The view was rolling desert past the high brick walls of the academy. The blustering wind caught his hair, making it blow back from his face.

Here he felt at one with the world. It was a great way to deal with anything he was going through. He came here daily when he heard of Shiro's disappearance and even more so when he realized his feelings for Lance were more than just a crush.

"What am I going to do? He might like me, but then again he might like some other guy." Keith sighed, thinking out loud. "How would I even know? I can't just ask him to stare me in the eyes and ask if he started seeing colors."

Keith sighs again and sets his face in his hands. He knows that's not how it works. You have to see the person for who they really are. Only then will you be able to tell if they're your soulmate.

He couldn't take it anymore. He laid on his back, staring at the dull clouds drift in a dull sky. He wanted to meet his soulmate so badly. And he wanted his soulmate to be Lance. He stayed thinking like this till he heard someone else come onto the roof.


	2. Chapter 2

Lance was walking to his next class. Sadly, neither Hunk nor Pidge were in that class. But you know who was? Of course, his arch-enemy Keith was in that class. And Lance was reluctant to open the door because then he would have to see his smug face.

He still had to go, and so he opened the door and looked expectantly at the vacant seat next to him. " _Mullet's not even here, wow skipping again._ "

He took his seat, happy that Keith wouldn't bother him today. However, in the middle of class, he found himself staring at the empty desk next to him. He was used to looking at Keith out of the corner of his eye. Seeing him hunched over his desk, his head laid on his crossed arms. His eyes, though dark and colorless, still held a spark that fascinated Lance.

Lance was confused. " _Shouldn't I be he isn't here?_ " He thought to himself, " _Why do I want to know where he is?_ " He gave up thinking about these thoughts and put his chin between his hands, elbows on the table.

He still found his mind wandering back to Keith. He tuned out the teacher's voice till it was a dull droning sound in the background. " _Where could he be?_ "

Immediately after class he usually went to look for Hunk and Pidge, but this time he was looking for someone else. Someone who he'd thought he despised. He was looking for Keith.

* * *

Lance walked down an empty hallway. Most of the cadets had hurried off to their next class early. Not Lance, he wasn't about to give up so easily. What he still couldn't figure out was why he put in so much effort into looking for Mullet. He decided he just needed to see his face, maybe yell at him a little.

But, Lance had searched all the halls, every part of the school. It was like Keith had disappeared off the face of the Earth. There was still one place he hadn't checked, the roof. He knew the students weren't allowed up there. So of course, Keith would break the rules and go up there.

He made his way up and emerged onto the roof. He'd finally found Keith. He was lying on the floor looking up at the sky. Lance noticed it was almost sundown. " _That idiot made me miss the rest of my classes. By the time I drag him downstairs it'll be lights out._ " Lance rolled his eyes. Trust Keith to do something like this. Keith had obviously heard him, but he wasn't moving so Lance walked over to see if he was asleep.

He wasn't. As Lance loomed over Keith, he suddenly stood up and turned around. "What are you doing here?" Keith asked, looking a bit mad. Lance immediately backed up. But recovered quickly with a _witty_ retort, "Looking for you."

"Why?" Keith asked a look of confusion crossing his face.

Their faces were inches apart. Because of the small distance, Lance noticed how Keith had a faint pout. He looked cute when he was confused.

Keith, on the other hand, noticed how Lance's eyes were a light shade of gray but gradually they were becoming a color he could only call blue. It was the most beautiful and mesmerizing thing he'd ever seen. He just stopped himself from completely getting lost in Lance's eyes.

Keith felt a blush creeping across his nose so he quickly sighed and said never mind. Then promptly marched out the door Lance not far behind.

"Dude, leave me alone," Keith said over his shoulder as they ascended the staircase leading down to the halls.

"Gladly, but in case you hadn't noticed this is the only way to get off the god damn roof," Lance huffed and added. "Unless you'd wanted me to jump off the side."

"Yeah," Keith said salty as ever. He still mentally kicked himself for being such an ass.

"What's your problem?" Lance said outraged.

Keith turned on his heel, forcing Lance to stop. Lance repeated himself, "What's your problem?"

"You are. You could've just left me on the roof to do whatever the hell I wanted," he said getting up in Lance's face, making him almost lose his balance. "But, no. You just had to go and try to find me. And now, you won't even tell me why."

"Well, because I don't know why. You weren't in class, so I wondered where you went. And, well – I," Lance said quietly looking down.

"Wow dude, thanks but you shouldn't have." Keith spat out.

Lance's head snapped up and stared Keith in the face. "What's it do you anyway, huh? You can't just say thanks and leave it at that! Why do you even care why I was looking for you? You could've spent the night up there and I wouldn't have cared. But I did. Enough to come looking for you, and you don't even say thank you?" Lance said quickly. By the time he finished his outburst, the roles had reversed and it was Keith who was backing away from Lance. They were at the bottom of the stairs and Keith was now looking down at his feet. Luckily no one was there and their argument hadn't attracted anyone's attention.

"Thank you, Lance," Keith said monotonously. And sped down the hallway, hopefully back to his room.

Lance waited a few seconds still processing what he'd just said and done. Then without another thought speed-walked down the hall do his room.


	3. Chapter 3

Keith made it back to his room before anyone noticed he was missing. His roommate was asleep.

As he settled into bed, he replayed the conversation over and over in his head. He mentally kicked himself. " _Why did I have to yell at Lance? What's wrong with me?_ " He buried his head in his pillow and groaned loudly.

* * *

Lance reached his room, only to be met with Hunk's worrying gaze. "Where were you, Lance? Pidge and I looked everywhere, you know you missed all your classes? What happened?"

"Well – I um, was on the roof." Lance stammered.

"Why were you on the roof?" Hunk asked, his eyes still boring into Lance's very soul.

"I was looking for Keith," Lance said under his breath.

"What?"

"I was looking for Keith." He said significantly louder.

"Why? Wasn't he in class?"

"No, he wasn't in class. So, I went to find him and it turns out that he was on the roof."

Hunk stood. "Okay, but why **did** you go looking for him?"

Lance looked away, embarrassed. "I was worried about him. But, he didn't get it."

"Oh," Hunk said. He still didn't fully get it but, Lance obviously needed his space. He trailed off to bed, Lance mirroring the action.

As they lay in the dark Lance's mind wandered back to the argument he had with Keith. He got his chance to yell at him, but it didn't make him feel better like he thought it would. He felt terrible for yelling at Keith. " _So what? It's not like he's ever nice to me._ " He thought.

Lance kept replaying their conversation in his mind. " _I yelled at him. I could have just left but I went and messed it all up._ " Then he remembered.

"I'm sorry Lance."

" _He knows my name_. _All this time I thought he didn't know who I was, but he does know my name._ " Lance smiled to himself, but immediately he thought, " _And now every time he sees me he'll probably think there's that jerk Lance._ "

"What have I done?" he said out loud.

* * *

Back in his door, Keith couldn't fall asleep. But then again, neither could Lance. They both thought didn't want to see each other, but little did they know soon they'd have to see each other every day.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry I took so long posting again. I had a severe case of writer's block. But, thankfully ObsessedWithBooks helped me out with the idea for this chapter (You should check her out). Hope you enjoyed._

 _-GhostGirl33_

The next day, Lance walked with Hunk to the cafeteria. Pidge had locked himself in his dorm, muttering something about aliens.

Hunk was busy complaining about the cafeteria food, and Lance was staring down at his feet. He couldn't get yesterday's conversation out of his head.

"Lance, buddy?" Lance looks up at his best friend's concerned face. "Are you listening to me?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah, totally," Lance says sheepishly. Hunk stares at him a moment longer before continuing his rant. Lance listens to him drone on about how there is no flavor in the food. But his mind wanders again. He went back to staring at his dragging feet.

"Lance?" It was a different voice; not Hunk's, but just as familiar. Lance looks up and sees Keith walking towards him. He quickly glances at Hunk, who was looking from Lance to Keith with a quizzical look on his face.

"Hey, uh, Hunk, I'll meet you in the cafeteria. Okay, buddy?" Lance says, not dragging his eyes away from Keith.

Hunk nervously nods and walks away. Keith comes to a stop in front of Lance.

"Listen, I-" Lance starts.

"Wait, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for yesterday," Keith interrupts. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you."

This caught Lance by surprise.

"You, uh, want to apologize to me?" Lance asks, confused. "I should be apologizing to you…"

"What, why?" Keith asks, now his turn to be confused. "I yelled at you!"

"So did I," Lance says, a small grin spreading on his lips. Keith smiles a little too.

"Yeah, but it's okay," Keith said smiling at him. Lance was taken aback by how nice Keith was being to him. He always thought he hated him.

"Friends?" Lance asks, holding out his hand. Keith stares at it a second, and Lance winces, thinking he might have gone too far. Then Keith shakes his hand, and Lance sighs, happy he didn't screw up this friendship.

"Friends," Keith says, confirming what Lance said.

"Okay, I gotta ago," Lance says, remembering how he'd left Hunk hanging. "See ya later?"

"Sure," Keith says, turning around. "Bye."

When Lance gets to the cafeteria, he finds Hunk and sits down.

"What was that about?" Hunk asks, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"Nothing," Lance answers, accepting the tray of food Hunk had saved him. "Hey, Hunk?"

"Yeah, man?" Hunk replies

"Is it just me, or does everything seem a bit brighter?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hunk stared at him for a while. "What do you mean brighter? Brighter how?"

"I dunno, it's just not as dull anymore."

"Lance wha-" Hunk starts. "Wait. Did you meet someone?" He says teasing.

"No! At least I don't think so..." Lance trails off. He takes another bite of his sandwich and chews thoughtfully.

"I haven't seen anyone recently. Except for Hunk," he thinks. "And Keith..."

Hunk watches Lance's face change and grins. "So it's true. The sharpshooter's met his lucky guy."

"What, no!" Lance says trying to cover his blush.

 _"Hunk already has a soulmate. And I can not be into Keith!"_

But then, he thought back to that morning he went searching for Keith and how he was so worried about him. He thought back to how cute he looked when he was laying under the stars. His expression. His eyes. Heck, even his mullet looked cute.

"Oh shit, I am falling for him," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that," Hunk said. "Was I right? Or was I right," Lance mumbled something about him being an idiot and how he should just let it go.

"Ha, I knew it," Hunk said satisfied.

* * *

Back in the halls, Keith had decided he wanted to skip lunch and go to the roof to train. And to think about what he just did.

He stops by the stairs and looks around to make sure there is no one there. When the coast is clear he begins his ascend. He immediately pulls out his knife when he reaches the roof. He moved to his usual spot where he'd found several dummies, some of which he'd already hacked apart. He dragged away a new dummy from the pile and set it in the middle of a chalk circle. He stepped back and got ready. Then he charged at it, slashing its side with his knife. He hacked and sliced till his knife got stuck in the dummy's hard material. But, that didn't stop him from kicking and punching. Soon he was out of breath. He sat down legs dangling of the edge of the roof.

The same place he'd sat that day that Lance found him. "Lance." Keith lay back closing his eyes. There was probably enough time for him to get a nap in. But as he slept he stayed alert. He never was a deep sleeper.

After about fifteen minutes he hears the door creak open. Now fully awake his head snaps towards the door. Thankfully, it's just Lance.

"Hey Lance. What are you doing here?" Keith says, laying back down.

"Looking for you," he says quietly walking over to Keith. "But it isn't anything bad," He says assuringly, then under his breath. "Not like last time..."

"Okay," Keith says turning his head. "So what's up?"

"Class is about to start. And, you know, I didn't want to tarnish what your teachers think of you," he said shrugging.

After a moment of silent, which Keith spent staring at Lance, poker faced. Then he turned away and said, "I'm not coming."

"Why not?" Lance asked.

"Why should I?" He returned.

Lance didn't know how to answer him. Then he had an idea. "That's too bad Keith," He smiles to himself as he stands. "You're coming with me. Whether you like it or not." And with that he grabs him, wrapping his arms around his chest, and hauled a complaining Keith up.

He was doing well, until he slipped backwards. His back took the impact of the fall and Keith came crashing down on his chest. "Ow, man," Lance said. Keith was dazed and didn't move, then he realized that he was on top of Lance and got up. He stood over Lance and offered his hand to him. He took it, but made no effort to get up. So Keith tugged at him, he was surprisingly easy to lift.

Having helped Lance up, they now stood in front of each other. Keith stared at Lance head cocked to the side.

" _Cute_." Lance thought.

"I never noticed how blue your eyes are." Keith says smiling. "It's nice."

"Thanks," Lance said, smiling back. Then he remembered why he was here and grabbed Keith's hand.

"What are you-" Keith started before Lance took off towards the door and down the stairs. Keith stumbled behind him confusedly. They raced down corridors and turned corners. Keith had no idea where Lance was taking him. All he could think about was how Lance's hand was so warm, and how he wished this moment would last forever.

They came to a stop in front of their class. "Ah, damn it!" Lance said turning to Keith. "We're late." He still hadn't let go of Keith's hand. Lance looked down at their hands and quickly let go. "So, um, let's go in, shall we?" he said opening the door for him. "After you."

Keith could do nothing to contain his blush from the fact that he'd just held hands with Lance McClain. He walked into the classroom, keeping his head down. Lance walked in behind him.

" . . What a pleasure to have you finally join us," the teacher said sarcastically.

"Sorry sir, Keith was just showing me how to maneuver through a tight asteroid belt," Lance said smoothly. "I guess we just lost track of time."

"Hmm, is this true cadet?" The teacher asked.

Keith's head snapped up. "Yes sir," he replied swiftly. "He couldn't make those tight turns."

"Very well," he said satisfied. "To your seats cadets."

As they walked to the back Lance whispered to Keith, "Good job. We got away with it but don't try anything like that again." He felt the need to add on so he continued. "Or I will hunt you down, Keith Kogane. Got that?" He finished, giving him a nudge. "Yeah, yeah. Just sit down."

They took their seats next to each other. Lance reclined slightly in his chair whereas, Keith slouched onto his desk. Lance stared at the back of Keith's head and asked himself a question that he'd pushed to the back of his mind.

 _"If Keith saw colors when we were on the roof, does that mean he really is my soulmate_?"

That was a truly bizarre thought in his mind. One that he mistook to be false.


	6. Chapter 6

**Three Years Later**

"Are you sure," Hunk asked.

"I'd recognize that mullet anywhere. Now come on," Lance said.

The three raced down to the crash site. Lance wanted to see Keith. It had been so long since he'd seen him. He wondered if Keith still remembered him, thought of him now and then. He sure thought of Keith. The thought of him still kept Lance awake at night.

They reached the ship and entered, Lance running in headfirst and Pidge and Hunk following cautiously. Lance raced after Keith. He'd gotten faster. They raced down the entire length of the ship, going through doors and turning corners. Lance didn't let Keith out of his sight once. He saw him go into a room and heard some grunting. When they reached the doorway they saw that Keith'd knocked out two guards and now stood over a table. On the table lay Shiro, one of the pilots on the Kerberos mission. " _Keith was trying to save him. Of course, trust Keith to be all noble and go doing something like this._ " Lance thought, rolling his eyes in exasperation. He rushed in after a few seconds.

"No no no no no. You're not saving Shiro. I'm saving Shiro."

Keith's gaze shot up, a shocked look on his face. His face betrayed an emotion Lance didn't catch, and was quickly replaced with a quizzical look. "Who are you?"

Lance's heart fell. " _He doesn't remember me. Of course he doesn't remember, we haven't talked since first year._ " He quickly recovered.

"Uh, the name's Lance." he battened his eyelashes at Keith, staring at him as if he was stupid. "We were in the same class at the Garrison."

"Oh wait, I remember you. You're a cargo pilot."

"Well I'm fighter class now, thanks to you dropping out."

"Congratulations," Keith said drily. "Now come on."

* * *

 _"Of course he doesn't remember me."_

 ** _"Of course I remember him."_**

 _"It was stupid of me to think that after all this time he'd still remember me._

 ** _"He probably didn't give me a second thought."_**

 _"And here I was thinking that he was my soulmate and that he'd never forget me."_

 ** _"And here I was thinking that he was my soulmate and that he would always remember me."_**

 _"_ _Shows what I know_ _"_

* * *

Bold: Keith

Not Bold: Lance

Underlined: Both


	7. Chapter 7

Keith couldn't believe Lance had just popped up out of nowhere. He wanted to save Shiro himself. But, it was nice to see a face that he thought of every day. To hear his beautiful voice in person once more. But, he panicked and acted like he didn't remember him. And Lance. An image of his hurt face flashed into his mind. Lance was hurt that Keith didn't remember him. However, Keith had no idea why Lance would be so hurt by the fact that Keith didn't remember him.

"He probably wants attention and didn't like it when I pretended that I didn't know who he was. I bet he expects everyone to know him and love him." Keith sighed at his thoughts. "But I promise, I won't let myself give away how much he really means to me. You know, assuming we meet again..."

And seldom did he, as a newly made paladin, ever think of the time that a boy named Lance McClain had stolen his heart with just his smile and laugh. And the time he first started seeing colors on the roof with Lance. Or how his eyes were blue when they first met and how those same blue eyes looked over at him every now and then, having lost their previous sparkle.

Lance didn't acknowledge him much as a teammate that he could trust. The only recognition he'd ever gotten from him around the others was usually formed as an insult.

So they went on playing this game of forget. Keeping hidden their past together, from both the other Paladins and themselves. And their feelings remained buried deep and kept away from each other.  
Keith would constantly be looking at Lance reminded of how fascinating Lance looked in colors. The chestnut brown of his hair. The soft pink of his lips. The blue of his paladin armor complimenting his skin tone. And his eyes.

But Keith had to push all his thoughts and feelings aside and focus. He had a duty to earth and the rest of the galaxy. A duty bigger and more important than himself, and definitely bigger and more important than his emotions for a boy who doesn't even remember him.


	8. Chapter 8

Lance loved his new job as a paladin. But seeing Keith every day reminded him of those times he'd spent with him. Smiling and laughing in the mess hall, chasing him around school when he refused to go to class, going with him to the roof and talking about life and what they missed from home. At least, what Lance missed about his life.

He misses those talks, but he can't look Keith in the face without thinking of how he misses him more. How he was so close to telling him his feelings that night before he chickened out. But now, Keith seems even more distant than he was back at the Garrison.

Lance decided to give him the benefit of doubt, hoping that if he waited long enough, Keith would come to him. He didn't. Lance didn't remember when he decided to ignore him but that's what he finds himself doing now.

He still catches Keith glancing at him occasionally, dropping his gaze when Lance catches him red handed. Lance sees this and would let himself take in Keith's disposition for a moment, only to look away after a while. Though, he would be lying if he said he didn't, accidentally, let his stares drag on for too long sometimes. But, whatever relationship they had before, was gone now. And Lance doubted it would ever be the same between them ever again.


	9. Chapter 9

It was lunch time. Lance was sitting in his usual spot when Keith came and sat right next to him.  
"Hey, dude, there are, like, 5 other seats. Could you move down one? I was saving this spot for Pidge," Lance said to Keith. The Red Paladin turned to him surprised as if he couldn't believe that Lance had even noticed he was there. He opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly a voice piped up from behind.

"It's okay Lance, I'll sit with Hunk," Pidge said taking the seat opposite of Lance and next to Hunk.

"Are you sure? I mean, Keith could move. Right?" He said facing the boy in question.

"Nah man, he already sat down." It was Hunk who spoke. "Besides, Pidge and I are fine."

"Yeah, I guess," Lance a little disappointed. He didn't need Keith distracting him from his food. He tried not to stare at him and failed miserably. Keith noticed and before Lance could look away he turned to him.

"What?" He asked, swallowing. "Why are you staring at me?"

Lance was frozen. He couldn't very well answer back truthfully, knowing that that would open up to a series of new questions that he didn't want to answer.

"Because your face is annoying me." He blurted out before he could think about what he was saying.  
Keith expression phased from confusion to anger. "What's that supposed to mean?" He abruptly stood up. Lance gulped down his feelings and kept going. "It means, your stupid face is annoying me," Lance said back, also standing. Keith just glared at him, as if daring him to go on, to which Lance complied. "Your dumb mullet is so distracting. Like, honestly, who has a mullet these days?" Lance said as Keith continued glaring. "And your gloves– Don't even get me started! Would it kill you to take them off once in a while? I haven't seen you without them even once. You probably sleep with them on too."

"Are you done?" Keith asked, his voice dangerously low. His expression closed off.

"I - yeah," Lance replied, now calmer.

"Good, cause so am I." And with that Keith stormed out of the room, leaving his food half finished. Lance felt guilty immediately, but he wasn't going to go after him in front of everyone. At least, not yet. He turned back to see the Paladins and Allura all staring at him.

"What was that all about?" Hunk asked.

"I don't know," he said embarrassed. He sat down and finished his food. No one talked after Keith and Lance's fight. Lance finished first and excused himself saying he had to go train. But really he just went looking for Keith.


	10. Chapter 10

Keith sat alone in his room clutching a pillow to his chest. What Lance had said shook him down to the core. He didn't know that that was the way Lance thought of him. It hurt.

He'd cried into that pillow till he ran out of tears. A few minutes later he heard a knock. He quickly dried his tears. "Come in," he said, not suspecting who he saw next. "Lance? Why are you here?" He said defensively.

"Um - I wanted to, er, talk." It made Keith smile that inside Lance was still the stuttering boy he remembered back at the academy. But he probably wasn't here to apologize.

"Sure, come in," Keith said nonchalantly, trying not to let his voice shake. He moved into a sitting position and patting the area in front of him. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing much," Lance said sitting. He took in Keith's red-rimmed eyes and the wet pillow beside him. A look of realization came over his face. "You were crying?" He said almost shocked.

"No," Keith said timidly, turning away.

"Yes you were." Lance moved closer and made Keith look at him. Keith did so and saw Lance's worried expression. "God, it's because of me isn't it?" Lance felt as if he could punch himself right now. "I didn't know you'd take it to heart. I'm so sorry I made you feel bad." He was mostly just taking to himself now. "I just-don't know what happened and I wasn't thinking and I can't believe I said that to you. Oh god I'm such a jerk I made you cry and-"

"Lance," Keith said cutting him off. "It's okay." He took Lance's hand in his own and Lance noticed he wasn't wearing his gloves. "Really, it okay. I'm touched that you came to apologize, because it did hurt my feelings. But it's okay now." He said and stared at Lance. "I'm okay now," he finished, giving him a lopsided grin.

"Good. But, you know Keith, I didn't mean all those things. I love your gloves, I think they're so cool. And your mullet suits you. I'm sorry I said all those things. I wasn't thinking and they obviously weren't true," He apologized. "But it's nice when you don't wear your gloves. Your hands are soft. You should leave them off more often." He took Keith's other hand in his and gave them a gentle squeeze.

They sat in silence for a while. Holding each other's hands, comfortable with this small amount of touching. Both Keith and Lance realized that this was the first real conversation they'd had, without insults, since their time together in the Garrison.

"I wear my gloves because they protect my hands. And, because, they were a gift from my dad," Keith spoke up softly. "It's the only thing I have left to remember him by."

"Oh." Lance said, thinking how hard it must be for Keith to tell him this. "I had no idea."

"Yeah." He sighed and after a while he stood, removing his hands from Lance's. "Thanks for being here. We should do this more often. But, for now can you come and be my sparring partner?" He said.

"I promise I'll go easy on you."

"Oh, it's on mullet," Lance said standing. They both raced out the door, laughing as one forged ahead of the other.


	11. Chapter 11

They trained all day. Keith disarming Lance every time he had the chance. Lance didn't disarm him once. But, eventually he anticipated Keith's movements and caught him off guard, he then simultaneously disarmed and pinned him to the ground. He lay on top of him to keep him from moving.

"I win." Lance says as Keith stared up at his grinning face, blushing slightly. Lance noticed this but overlooked it.

"Yeah, I guess you did."

They stared at each other in that position, a small blush creeping up Lance's neck, making the tips of his ears turn red. Keith found that adorable. Lance realized that he was blushing but in an effort to keep himself from crushing Keith, he couldn't move his hand to cover it.

Keith was distracted by how blue Lance's eyes were and Lance distracted by Keith' soft hair. He twirled a strand of it around his finger. Then, as if he just came down to earth, Lance cleared his throat and rolled off. Helping up Keith after him.

"We should try that again. No weapons this time, just fists." Lance looks over to Keith and nods. Getting ready before he's knocked over by Keith's fist. He takes a step back and puts his hand to his chest.  
"What happened to going easy on me?" He teased.

"We both know I didn't mean it," he replied with a swing at Lance's face.

"Alright, pretty boy," he says laughing. "Let's go." Lance's laugh threw Keith off, he missed hearing his light laughter. Lance took that chance to swing at Keith hitting him square in the chest. Keith stared at him shocked, the air from his lungs was emptied on impact.

"Good," he said. "Now do it again." He spread his arms leaving himself no protection. Lance fell for it and charged at Keith, fist drawn back. At the last moment Keith grabbed his fist in one hand and his forearm in another a flipped him to the ground. He sat on his chest before Lance could even think to get up. He lowered his head by his ear and whispered "Who's winning now?"

Lance sucked in a breath and let out a long laugh.

"What's so funny," Keith said, blushing again at the sound of his laughter. He look down at Lance. Taking in the small crinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth as he laughed.

Lance brought his hands up behind Keith's neck making him tense. He moved Keith's head down slowly so their foreheads touched.

"It's funny, that you think you won," his voice low.

"Wha-" Keith was cut off by Lance, whose lips were on his. His brain shutdown. All he could think was "I'm kissing Lance McClain." After he got over his initial shock he kissed back.

Lance thought he was a good kisser until he kissed Keith. The boy made his resolution melt. His brain wasn't functioning. His nerves frayed. He couldn't remember how to breathe.

In short, kissing Keith was everything he thought it would be.

When they finally pulled apart they were both gasping for air. Keith got off Lance only to sit down next to him.

"Damn," Lance said to which Keith smirked.

"Would you believe I'd never kissed anyone till now?" Keith asked.

"No way dude, I'm your first kiss?" Lance shot up into a sitting position. "But then how are you so good at this!"

"Don't know, never was into romance." He said then looking up at Lance. "Till I met you, but that night I thought you'd forgotten all about me. You didn't seem to even remember what we had back at the Garrison."

Lance scoffed. "Dude, you're kidding right? I thought you didn't remember me! So, of course, I didn't tell you that I spent every night thinking of you. Remembering how much I loved you."

Keith brought his knees up to his chest and rested his chin in between them. "Do you mean it?"

"What part?" Lance asked.

"All of it."

"Of course I mean it Keith." He said scooting in front of him. "I really do love you. I did then, and I do now. And," he chuckled to himself, "believe it or not I really did spend every night think about you. Since the day I first met you and stuck my tongue out at you, and you did the same,"

"Heh, yeah. I remember that."

"But the point is that I love you Keith. You're perfect in every single way. And I can't think of any other way I'd spend my life if you weren't by my side." Lance took a deep breath and continue shyly, "You were the first person to show me colors."

"Really?" Keith said still looking down.

"Yeah," Lance said smiling. "And I hope you feel the same because it would suck if my soulmate wasn't my soulmate."

Keith paused and looked at Lance like he couldn't believe what he'd just admitted to. Then looked down. Lance's heart fell. Then Keith started laughing. It started out small but got louder and louder, till he was clutching his sides and crying tears of joy.

"Oh my god. You big cheese." He looked at Lance's upset frown and burst out laughing again.

"What?! Why are you laughing? Was it something I said?" Lance was officially confused. He had no idea if Keith felt the same or if he was making fun of him. He gave up.

He was standing up to leave, when Keith grabbed his wrist. "No wait, I'm sorry for laughing. I love you too, you dork."

"Really? Then why the hell were you laughing?"

"Because you're so cliché. But that's what I like about you. You don't care what comes out of your mouth or if it gets you into trouble. You always says what comes to mind. And those kind of people are the best types of people, because they're the most sincere." At this point Lance was blushing at Keith's words. But Keith wasn't finished just yet. "And what you just said about me was the most sincere thing that anyone's ever said to me. And I love you for it, Lance. Thank you."

"Anytime," Lance returned.

Keith stood and offered his hand to Lance. He took it and hauled himself up.

They walked together to Lance's room. It was getting late. The other Paladins had already gone to sleep.

"Keith, do you want to sleep with me tonight?" Lance said immediately. He didn't want to let Keith go off on his own. And he wanted to make sure he even slept at all.

"Sure," Keith said shrugging.

"Alright then. C'mon, we're going to put on a face mask."

"Ugh, no," Keith groaned.

"Too late. You already said yes," Lance said tugging him into his room.


	12. Chapter 12

"Paladins, we are under attack," Allura's voice blared through the castle, accompanied by an alarm. "This is not a drill. Report to central command immediately." Keith was shocked away from his nap. It was 1 AM, a perfect time to attack. He struggled into his paladin armor and rushed to their rendezvous point.

Allura's paced in front of them while Coran deployed the ships defense systems. Keith ran in, Lance trailing a tic after. "Last. As usual," Keith thought affectionately. It had been 3 weeks since Lance told him he loved him. 3 weeks since they were officially together. 3 weeks since everything Keith saw was bright and colorful. Thankfully, the others had shown them support right from the start.

The princess's voice jarred him out of his thoughts.  
"Paladins, galran troops have found us. They are open firing on our ship and I'm afraid that the castle's defenses can't stand much more of this."  
"But princess, how'd they find us? We landed on this remote planet. We checked for any galra threat," Shiro asked.

"I believe that their ship wormhole transported here for patrol and spotted our ship."

"Understood. What are your orders?"

"The Lions' hangers have been damaged. You will have to fight on land,"

"What!" Lance burst out next to Keith. He was now properly awake. "Allura, you expect us to fight a galran army? We're not ready,"

"Oh, yes we are," Keith said turning to Lance. "This is what we've been training for since we became Paladins."

Lance looked at Keith incredulously. "You seriously think we're ready?"

"Not only are we ready. We're going to win," Keith said confidently, in hopes of comforting Lance.

"Yes, and I will assist you on the ground while Coran fights from the ship," Allura adds. "We'll go down in pairs; Lance and Keith, Hunk and Pidge, and Shiro and I. This way we'll all be certain someone had our back. Agreed?"

All the Paladins nod in unison, suddenly determined. "Alright then, the rest of you suit up."

Keith grabs Lance's hand and they both run to Lance's room. Keith waits outside as Lance puts on his armor, fiddling with his bayard. Lance steps out ready. And they both run down corridors hand in hand, back to the rendezvous point and through the bay doors.

The battle was in full swing when they emerged from the ship. Keith contacted Shiro and Allura, while Lance contacted Hunk.

"The plan is to take out as many as you can." Shiro stated, "If your partner gets seriously injured you will retreat back to the castle for immediate help. If that happens you contact the others and inform them about what happened."

"Okay, but that's not going to happen," Keith said turning to Lance, who'd just finished talking to Hunk. "What did he say?"

"Hunk and Pidge are doing fine but the connection got severed," Lance replied, nervously biting his lower lip.

"They'll be fine," Keith said kissing Lance's cheek as a sign of reassurance. "You should worry about making it back alive yourself or I'll kill you."

"Got it," Lance said, a small smile played across his lips. Then his expression hardened, "Okay, so what do we do now."

"I'll go out first, you cover me. If we get in too deep back to back like we practiced. Shields up, I'm going in," Keith said and ducked out from their hiding place. He quickly drew his bayard and barreled into a tight group of soldiers. Lance right behind him.

Keith was immediately grateful for the sharpshooter. And simultaneously relieved that none of the soldiers he'd cut down had guns. So they could only be injured if they were in close proximity to the galrans. He silently prayed Lance would keep his distance. Because even though it was going well he couldn't bear the thought of Lance getting hurt.

They plowed through the first line and into the second, side-by-side. Lance shooting the soldiers straight in the chest and Keith expertly wielding his bayard and slicing down the galra left and right.  
They made a good team. A well-oiled machine. They knew each other's moves and techniques. Quick and agile they moved together, perfectly in sync.

Then Allura called in. "Paladins, Shiro is hurt, I repeat, Shiro is hurt," Allura's voice board through their helmets' speakers.

"What?" Keith half-shouted, worried. We're reporting back to the castle don't worry. It's nothing bad, just thought it would be good to inform you beforehand."

"Of course. Thank you, princess," Lance said before Keith could ask her any more questions. He reached over to Keith's clenched fist and eased it open, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Hey, don't worry. He'll be okay."

"Yeah," Keith said relaxing and loosened his grip on Lance's hand. He looked around suddenly aware that the galran troops were retreating. "What's going on? Did we win?"

"I don't know," Lance said suddenly frowning. "Hey, do you hear that?"

"What?"

"That beeping," Lance said, then gasped in realization. "Get down!" He yells tackling Keith to the ground, just as a bomb goes off a few feet from them.


	13. Chapter 13

For a second, Keith couldn't hear anything just a ringing in his ears. He moved around gingerly to see if anything was broken. Thankfully, nothing was. All of a sudden it hit him like a slap in the face.

"Where's Lance?"

He looked around panicked, consumed with bad thoughts.

"Oh no, the blast. I need to find him. He has to be alive. Otherwise..." He refused to believe that Lance was dead. He stood up rigidly and pumped his legs. They worked and even if they didn't he would drag himself around till he found Lance.

He peered through the ashes and dust. A few meters away he saw a figure that he could only hope was Lance. He started walking forward faster and faster till the figure became more visible. It was Lance.  
Keith hurried towards Lance's side and knelt there. He sucked in a breath as he rolled Lance so he was facing him. He wasn't ready for what he saw.

Lance had a huge gash on his face. His right leg was cut off at the joint. And worst yet he was lying in a puddle of his blood that was increasing by the moment. All the color had bled out of his face. Keith himself turned pale. He gripped Lance's shaking hand in an attempt to stop its trembling. Then realized that he was the one shaking. He forced himself to stop but he couldn't.

The color started leaking out of his vision, tears formed in his eyes making everything blur into a mix of dull shades. He reached down and touched Lance's cheek with his hand. And promptly collapsed over him, desperately clutching him in hopes that he would feel a faint movement, a welcome breath. Nothing. He squeezed him tighter, all the while sobbing uncontrollably. A familiar hand patted his head.

"Lance?" Keith said, pulling his head back.

"Why are you crying, mi amor?"

"Lance!" Keith said, kissing him with tears still rolling down his face. "You're okay!"

"Yeah, no," Lance said wincing then proceeded to double over coughing.

Keith gripped his hand. "You'll be fine. We just need to get back to the castle. The healing pods will fix you. We just-"

Lance stopped him. "No Keith, the pods can't fix what's already broken. I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart. And these last few weeks with you have been everything I ever dreamed of. And when I go, I want you to remember me but wipe away your tears. I knew you were my soulmate from the start, but I just couldn't tell you. And now..." He let a tear slip. "What I'm trying to say is I love you, Keith."

"I love you too, but you're not going to die," Keith said picking him up. He was lying to himself. The colors were fading fast, Lance was dying. It wouldn't be enough. He couldn't be enough. Yet still, he ran on blindly towards the castle, telling Lance it would be all right. Lance stayed quiet for a moment then he voiced Keith's worst fears.

"The colors are fading. I can't hold on." Lance's voice slurred with emotion, "Keith."

"No."

"KEITH!" Lance yelled. Keith stopped dead in his tracks and looked down at Lance.

"No," Keith said again more weakly. He keeled over onto the ground, "I can't lose you. You're my one true love. It's never been the same with anyone else. And it won't be the same now that I've found you."

"It'll be okay. I love you, mi querido and I will keep loving you till my heart gives out-which isn't far from now. Just remember that I'll always be watching over you," Lance stared up at Keith, moving his hand to his neck. He rubbed a strand of Keith's hair between his fingers, reveling at its softness for the last time. Keith wiped his tears away and kissed Lance's nose.

"I love you too." A satisfied smile rested upon Lance's face when Keith said that. It was all he needed to hear. His hand went limp in Keith's hair along with the rest of him. As the life drained from his body the color drained from Keith's vision.

" _This is it_ ," he thought sadly. " _I've lost my soulmate. The world might as well be a distant memory because my happiness and will has left with him tonight. And it's not coming back._ "

He stood up silently wiping away the last of his tears, picked up Lance and begun the long walk back to the castle.

He didn't speak to anyone from then onwards. There was just no point. He wanted the last words he said to be the ones he said to Lance. And they were because two weeks later Keith died in battle. He left the world with a smile on his face. He was awaiting the arrival of his beloved.

 _AN: I'm so sorry for the angsty ending, it made me and my editor cry reading it. I actually skipped over a few details from the actual show (sorry). Hopefully, the next fic will be fluffier and less angsty. Till then.  
~GhostGirl33_

Mi amor - my love

Mi querido - my dear/darling


End file.
